Confusion
by Super Kick
Summary: Yumichika and Ikkaku have been the closest people to each other for years, but when they hear a rumour about the two of them, things start to get a little awkward.
1. Chapter 1

_I just want to say several things before you begin on the first chapter. This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm really excited to see whether it goes anywhere or whether it is any good. I absolutely love both Yumichika and Ikkaku so, so far I've quite enjoyed writing this. Please review if you have the time, I'd be extremely grateful, and I would really like to know if I should carry it on or not.  
Enjoy!_

* * *

Yumichika sighed and added the second set of feathers to his face, just at the start of his right eyebrow. He stared at himself in the mirror, momentarily stunned by his own beauty. He laughed inwardly then proceeded to flick his hair in an elaborate fashion.

''Fucking hell Yumichika, are you done pampering yourself yet?" Ikkaku growled from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Beauty takes time Ikkaku," Yumichika replied bluntly. "And anyway, I don't even want to go out tonight, you can leave whenever you like."

Ikkaku ignored the second input and began to tease his best friend. "What was that? Beauty takes time? And I always thought being 'beautiful' came naturally to you, guess I was wrong."

At hearing this, Yumichika burst open the bathroom door and strutted out like a majestic peacock, then elegantly twirled, purposely making his azure kimono flow around his slender body. He smiled gleefully then placed a hand on Ikkaku's shoulder."But there's nothing wrong with a bit of make-up to enhance the natural beauty, is there?" questioned Yumichika, cocking his head a little to the side and putting on a playful pout. "Besides, even you wear a little make-up."

He flicked the side of his friends eye, then skilfully dodged Ikkaku's punch that was aimed for his gut.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, lets just go now!"

The two left the eleventh division barracks in silence, walking at a regular pace, side by side. Yumichika, even after all the effort he had went through to get ready, was already regretting going out. He didn't want to spend his night in some stuffy bar filled with red-faced morons who all mistook him for a woman. Groping at his sides, ankles, ass. Anything they could get their hands on. The only way he could endure it was to drink. He didn't really enjoy drinking, and he absolutely despised hangovers. _"Eugh," thought Yumichika. "What an ugly night this is going to be."_

The sun was setting over the Seireirei, casting orange and pink shadows over paths and buildings. Not many people were out, the weather was still sharp and biting even though it was the beginning of spring. Flowers that had bloomed early found themselves enveloped in a jacket of ice in the early hours of the morning due to the extended winter.

They were nearing the bar when Ikkaku realised that Yumichika had a frown on his face.

"What's up with you?"

Yumichika startled then looked over at Ikkaku. "I don't understand, why am I here again?"

"Because Rangiku has no drinking buddies. All the other lieutenants are actually doing their jobs and they're too busy to go out on a work night. So all that's left is me and her, and I'm not enduring a whole night with her alone."

Yumichika laughed and actually felt some pity for his bald friend; a whole night alone with a drunk Rangiku in some run-down bar. How very pleasant.

"I see, I see. But you owe my, ok?" Ikkaku nodded in reply then pointed at a small building around thirty metres from them. The bar stood at the end of a row of shops. There was a welcoming bubble of laughter coming from the doorway.

"It doesn't actually look that bad…" Yumichika pondered. "Quaint."

"I guess," came Ikkaku's answer.

The two men entered the bar and were immediately greeted by the all too familiar wail of Rangiku's greeting.

"Ikkaakuuuuu! Oh, and Yumi too! Aren't I a lucky girl, hmmm?"

The two males were at loss of what to say. The already red-cheeked Rangiku pulled two bar stools next to her and beckoned them to come and sit at the bar. They complied silently and both grimaced inwardly as they thought of how the next few hours would go.

* * *

An hour or so passed; Rangiku became more calm as the night went on and once Yumichika and Ikkaku had some sake in them, it wasn't so bad. They talked and joked about the other absent drinking buddies who were probably working their asses off whilst they drank the night away. Yumichika and Ikkaku exchanged pleased glances occasionally; it wasn't actually that bad. They might have even said that they were having fun.

Then Rangiku let her tongue slip.

After the three of them ordered yet another round, something caught Rangiku's eye. Not exactly something, but someone. A handsome man with well-toned arms and curly blonde hair entered the bar and Rangiku turned automatically and gave him a massive smile and a wave. He returned the gesture politely, then joined some of his friends near the back of the bar.

"He's hot, isn't he? Look at those aaaaarms. He is hot, you do agree, don't you?" Rangiku spluttered out. She let out a hiccup for good measure then turned to Ikkaku and Yumichika impatiently. "Well?"

"Well, what?" they replied simultaneously in confusion.

"You guys _must_ find him hot, or at least attractive! Maybe even cute." she huffed crossing her arms underneath her breasts. They looked at each other then burst out into hysterics. Rangiku eyed them with confusion then looked back at the man. Then at them, then back at the man.

"I don't get it, what's the joke?"

In between huffs of laughter Ikkaku managed to utter; "No Rangiku -as surprising as this may sound - I don't! How about you - Yumichika?"

"Certainly not as beautiful as me."

Rangiku pouted and downed a new cup of sake, then took the opportunity to take both Yumichika's and Ikkaku's whilst they were preoccupied. She looked back at them after emptying all the cups and announced, "You two have got to be the most pathetic gays I've ever met."

The men then stopped abruptly; Ikkaku choking on his last laugh of the night.

"What do you mean 'most pathetic gays?" His voice wavered.

"I mean what I said," she shrugged in reply. "Most other gay men would agree with me in an instant."

Ikkaku was trying to convince himself that she was either joking or she had to much sake in her blood system. Was she trying to call them _gay_? No way. She couldn't be serious. It _was_ Rangiku after all, she was probably only just pulling their legs. He hoped.

Yumichika placed a firm hand on each of her shoulders. "Rangiku… we're not gay," he said slowly, making sure the drunk woman understood every syllable.

It was now her turn to collapse off her bar stool in knots. Usually at this point Yumichika and Ikkaku would exchange glances of confusion, but both of them were too flushed with embarrassment to look at each other. Rangiku finally controlled herself then lifted her head to stare at the two men.

"You two? Not gay? Bullshit!" She stood up and steadied herself against the bar. She grinned widely then walked over to them to hang an arm over each of their shoulders. Both the men never said a word. What were they supposed to say? What were they supposed to think?

The big-breasted woman twisted her head to look at Ikkaku, then did the same to Yumichika. She noticed their genuinely serious expressions and then she found herself looking backwards and forwards between the two men. Then her movements began to slow down. She withdrew her arms from around them and took a step back. Yumichika and Ikkaku could sense that she was now sobering up and her face seemed panicked.

"You two aren't…?"

Both men shook their heads slowly.

"But I always thought you two were… Oh shit, I've made this really awkward, haven't I? Shit." She turned away from them and looked down at the floor. _What have you done you stupid bitch? Why did you have to say it? But... they're so misleading…_

She blurted out what sounded like an apology then left the two men alone together in the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

_a.n./ A thousand thanks to everyone who read and to the people who reviewed. I'm pleased you all enjoyed it! _

* * *

A silence fell over the two men. The mindless banter of the bar continued on; oblivious to the misunderstanding which had taken place footsteps away. At first, Yumichika and Ikkaku dared not to look at each other in fear of exchanging uncomfortable and embarrassed glances; but after five minutes of standing in an agonising absence of speech Ikkaku groaned audibly.

"The stupid cow just had too much to drink. Imagine blurting out something so fucking ridiculous."

Yumichika sighed and joined Ikkaku in his false hope. "Yes, she does tend to talk nonsense once drunk enough."

"She's totally ruined the mood, I'm not even pissed anymore," growled Ikkaku, rubbing his palm against the back of his head in turned then to face Yumichika and was grateful to see that he had a neutral expression on his face and only a slight blush which had not been caused by Rangiku's comments, but from the alcohol he had consumed earlier.

"Lets just go home." Ikkaku lead the way out of the still energised bar and onto the street; Yumichika following close behind.

The night was calm, but colder than it had been earlier with even less people stalking the streets. The sun had completely vanished from view, leaving room for a full moon and a raven black sky to stretch over the landscape. Yumichika cursed himself for not wearing more layers and wrapped his slender arms around his body in an attempt to stay warm. Ikkaku noticed his friend trying to prevent the cold and sniggered.

"That's what you get for wearing such a pansy kimono. Did you not even take the weather into consideration when you were 'enhancing your beauty'? You're an idiot sometimes Yumichika."

"My kimono is not 'pansy'! And of course I did, I just wasn't anticipating it to feel like mid-winter out here!" Yumichika huffed, strutting past Ikkaku with a scowl.

His friend laughed then charged towards him; throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Come on Yumichika, don't go in a mood with me, I was only-" he began to coo into his ear before his speech was interrupted by Rangiku's words playing back in his mind. _"You two? Not gay? Bullshit!" _He was then fiercely aware of his arm which snaked along the back of Yumichika's neck and his firm hand on his shoulder. He let go abruptly, taking a step away from his friend. Yumichika did not have to ask why Ikkaku had released his grip on him, he understood straight away the thought that had ran through his head.

Several hours before, the same physical contact would not have meant anything to the two men; it was just them fooling around with each other acting as they normally would. But after the ordeal in the bar, the atmosphere between the two men was different. And it was beginning to get on Yumichika's nerves.

"Lets just stop being foolish and go back to our barracks." He began walking away at a rather fast pace which Ikkaku matched and walked along side him.

The journey back was silent and not very interesting. Ikkaku couldn't stop reminding himself of what his female friend had said. He hoped with everything he could that she would forget the next day, but even if she did forget, he certainly wasn't going to. _What would even make her think that? I'm the third seat of the 11__th__ Division, the second strongest man out of the most feared squad of the Gotei 13. Fighting is my life; I'm a warrior. Where the fuck does 'homosexual' come into it? _

As Ikkaku battled within his mind; Yumichika dismissed his thoughts of earlier -he had had enough of them- and concentrated on the night. It was a full moon. He let a smile escape across his features. _How beautiful. _

Ikkaku realised his friend's pace slow slightly and turned his head to check what was wrong. He noticed Yumichika's head was raised slightly, showing off the pale skin of his neck, and was surprised at the sight of his curved lips. He followed his gaze into the sky and almost smiled himself. _Of course; Yumichika loves full moons. _Ikkaku restrained himself from slapping his forehead. _Why am I so concerned about what that pervert Rangiku said? Look at Yumichika, he doesn't give two shits. He's already lost interest._

And with a only a subconscious smile; Yumichika was able to put Ikkaku's mind at ease for some time.

* * *

Ikkaku entered through the door of their shared barracks, expecting to hear Yumichika's footsteps following closely after him; surprised when he wasn't accompanied by his friend. He poked his head back out of the doorway and scanned the veranda. He noticed him leaning against the fencing; still gazing towards the sky. Ikkaku sighed then stood aside his friend.

"Yumichika, it's freezing. If you're going to stand here gawking at the moon all night, at least put some more clothes on."

Yumichika laughed lightly. Ikkaku always had a way of covering up his concern with an insult, but he was an amateur at it and his companion seen through it every time. "I'm just going to come in now anyway."

"Alright." Ikkaku yawned and stretched his arms forward, causing the bones surrounding his shoulders to crack in relief. Yumichika laughed again and pushed his friend back into their home.

* * *

Yumichika woke the next morning to the sound of Ikkaku's voice. _Wait, Ikkaku?_

Yumichika is well known to be an early riser, getting up soon after dawn so he has enough time to prepare himself for the day and also fit in a cup of tea; Ikkaku, however, is quite the opposite, awakening late with only just enough time to shower and throw on his shihakusho. The fact that Yumichika was being woke up by Ikkaku meant that he had slept in.

He sat himself up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Ikka-" Yumichika was unable to finish his sentence due to a large sneeze, which had not come from the bald man standing next to his was dazed.

_Did… did Yumichika just sneeze? _

"What the hell… what's wrong with me?" Yumichika's voice came out cracked and harsh which made him gasp. "My voice! It's horrible, what the fuck is going on?"

He reached around to his side table, ignoring Ikkaku's bewildered look at his swearing, and lifted up his frequently used hand mirror. Another gasp escaped his lips. His eyes looked heavy, underlined with subtle shades of blue and purple. His skin, although normally pale and porcelain , seemed unhealthy in it's colouration.

He suddenly remembered that he had company in his room and covered his face with one of his long hands.

"Get out Ikkaku!" he shouted, immensely embarrassed at being seen in such a state.

Ikkaku was taken aback. Sure, Yumichika was extremely self absorbed and took great pride in being beautiful in every aspect possible, but Ikkaku was his closest friend. Closest anything. He sighed and pried his friend's hand off of his face.

"Look, it's only a cold. That's what you get for not dressing properly, idiot! You don't even look that bad… you're still going to be the most beautiful guy in our squad, so stop worrying about it."

Ikkaku let his mouth run without bothering to turn the faucet off. He didn't realise what he had said until Yumichika glanced up at him warily with the slightest dash of pink against each of his pale cheeks.

"Wait, what was that?" he croaked.

Ikkaku froze and went back over his words. Not only had he called Yumichika beautiful, but he had also stated that he was the most attractive in their squad; even when ill. What he had said was… _Completely gay. No wonder Rangiku thinks I'm a homo. _He groaned and turned his back to Yumichika.

"Nothing. Just stay here and recuperate for the day, we only have training duty anyway." Ikkaku left his friends room without another word, leaving Yumichika in shock. _He really did just call me beautiful, didn't he? Perhaps he only said it to make me feel better…_

He lay back in his futon and pulled his covers up to his chin; confusion flooding his mind.

* * *

Ikkaku knocked back a new recruit. And another, and another. All morning and afternoon was spent knocking down and attacking new recruits over, and over again. Sometimes he was lucky enough to get several strikes, blocks and even counter attacks out of them, but after using all of their strength just to break through the third seat's defences, they could barely stand up against a gust of wind. Ikkaku held the wooden sword over his shoulder in his usual fashion.

"You guys are pathetic today," he sneered, looking around the group of about twenty-five soul reapers, scaring them all half to death. "What are you doing in the eleventh division if you can't fight for shit? All of you, come at me at once! If you're able to ground, disarm or wound me then I'll let you off with training for the rest of the day!" Motivated by the sound of his proposal they all charged for him, shouting and drawing their swords, only to all halt in amazement after only several steps.

A flash of a figure appeared before them for a nanosecond, too fast for them to decipher who or what it was. Turning, it advanced for Ikkaku, taking him off guard; knocking away his wooden sword, shoving him to the wooden floor and applying a thin cut along the line of his jaw.

"Grounded, disarmed _and _wounded. I think I win."

Ikkaku raised his head in amazement. "Yumichika… What are you doing out of bed?" he questioned, his voice stuttering slightly from surprise whilst he hoisted himself up from the floor to stand in front of his miraculously recovered friend.

"I went to over to the 4th to get myself fixed. You were right, it was only a cold, so they were able to fix me up right away," he shrugged whilst giving his explanation, then he flashed a playful grin towards Ikkaku. "Were you worried?"

"Of course not, it was only a damn cold!" he replied agitated.

"You were the one who suggested for me to stay home, so you must have been slightly concerned…"

"I was more concerned about you spreading it to everyone else in our division and being in the way of these training exercises."

"Don't lie Ikkaku; it's so unattractive. Those thoughts hadn't even crossed your mind this morning."

"How would you know?"

"Because I know everything about you."

Ikkaku was so frustrated and engaged in his disagreement with Yumichika that he didn't notice one of the new recruits holding his hand above his head trying to gain the third seat's attention.

"E-Excuse me?"

Ikkaku turned his agitation onto the man. "Don't stutter like a wimp!"

"Sorry sir! I was just wondering if we could leave early now seeing as you were defeated…"

A pulsating vein was visible across Ikkaku's temple; obviously the new member of the eleventh division didn't understand how things worked around Ikkaku.

But before the bald man could tear the unsuspecting soul reaper apart limb by limb, Yumichika intercepted the conversation and stood in between the two men. He flashed a smile. "Of course you can leave now. It's only fair."

Ikkaku looked at the dark haired shinigami in astonishment for what seemed the 146th time that day. All the anger he had felt moments ago had flooded out leaving room for total bewilderment and confusion to seep in. He let the men go without a word and continued to stare at Yumichika; trying to figure out why he was acting so… well, not out of sorts -his attitude was as stubborn and vain as expected- but his actions were odd.

Once all the recruits had left Ikkaku opened his mouth to ask what the hell had just happened when he was beat to it.

"Now, Ikkaku, don't shout at me. Your rules were plain and simple: ground, disarm or wound. I accomplished all three. You did not assign the task to any specific party so I had every right to intervene."

"For fuck sake Yumichika, when giving out orders I'm not going to be that specific and anyway you…"

"Shut up, I'm not finished talking. Your 'training' session wasn't going to hold out much longer anyway, was it? You were hardly holding back against them. I could feel your reiatsu from our barracks."

Ikkaku was dumbfounded. "You could?"

"Yes, it has been tense all day and once the training began you just released it all." Yumichika smirked and added, "Of course you wouldn't notice, you're pretty shit when it comes down to controlling and recognising your own reiatsu, aren't you?"

"Smug bastard."

The fifth seat flicked his hair and sighed. "Ikkaku, stop letting it get to you." And with that, he left.

Ikkaku knew immediately that he wasn't referring to his lack of control over his reiatsu anymore.

He groaned then left the training room, deep in thought. _He's right, I have been tense all day. It's only because of what I said earlier though. No, wait, scratch that. The only reason why what I said seemed awkward was because of Rangiku. _He then wished that he hadn't dragged his best friend out to go drinking, but that thought was cut off quickly with yet another one. _But, if she hadn't said it last night she would have said it at another time, on front of different people… Wait, does anyone else think we're gay? _His answer came sooner than he had expected. Whilst engrossed in his new revelation he walked past the showers and changing facilities used by the new members. He would have just sauntered on by, if not brought to attention by the sound of him own name.

"So, what do you make of Madarame?" he heard a man ask one of his peers.

"Scary, over-powered bastard."

His friend laughed in agreement. "What about Ayasegawa?"

"Even scarier. He may be feminine, but shit is he intimidating."

Another soul reaper joined in on their discussion. "Those two do make a good pair, don't they?"

"Opposites attract."

"A fucking scary pair."

"You find everything scary Takumi."

More men added their input on how afraid and intimidated they were by the two men; and Ikkaku was glad to hear it. _This is how it should be, everyone should be shit scared of us…_

"Even their lovers quarrel was scary..."

"Oh, so you think they're together as well? Thank fuck, I thought I was just being too observant."

"But it's obvious isn't it? The two of them even _live _together."

"Don't let Madarame hear you say that, I'm sure he'd probably…" A flare of reiatsu caused all the men to stop and look towards the entrance of the changing rooms.

Ikkaku Madarame stood before them with a sadistic grin painted across his face. He approached them slowly, not bothering to contain his spirit energy as it spluttered and spat out around him in fury.

"You ladies better not think I'm letting you off with half a day of training this easily. Tomorrow, I'm going to make you regret ever becoming a member of this squad."


	3. Chapter 3

Yumichika jumped as Ikkaku's reiatsu escalated suddenly.

"Ouch Feathers, don't tug my hair so suddenly! And what's up with Baldy?" Yumichika released the small lieutenants pink locks and began to brush through it with a comb that was sitting on his lap.

"My apologies Lieutenant I just got a little shock from Ikkaku there, and to tell you the truth, I have no idea what's wrong with him now."

"Stop calling me Lieutenant when you're doing my hair Feathers! It's not like you're here on orders silly!" She turned to poke him on the cheek and flashed him a goofy smile. Yumichika laughed lightly at the little girl and began to braid her hair to one side.

"Sorry Yachiru."

"That's better," she replied with a giggle. "Oh, are you done?" She turned to see Yumichika pulling a baby blue ribbon from her bag of hair accessories. "Almost…" he mused whilst tying the ribbon with expertise at the bottom of her braid; the ribbon intertwining with his long and slender fingers before being pulled gently apart to create a bow. "Now I'm done."

He gave her a smile whilst handing her a small hand mirror. She took it off him and admired his work. "It's so pretty, thanks Feathers!"

"It's no problem at all Yachiru, you know I enjoy doing your hair for you."

She giggled in response then launched her small body at the fifth seat, nestling on his lap. He couldn't help but giggle childishly himself, and poked the tip of her nose in a playful fashion. Yumichika loved being in the company of the small girl sometimes. He enjoyed the amount of laughs they shared between one another and their highly pointless conversations. He was incredibly grateful that she existed in the squad; all the dirty brutish men would have drove Yumichika to insanity if she did not.

They sat together, giggling and tickling each other for several more minutes before a strange, foreign expression showed across Yachiru's small features. Yumichika stopped playing around once he noticed her change in mood and gave her a concerned glance. Yachiru couldn't ignore her friends look and began to speak.

"Yumichika?"

His breathing hitched in surprise. He was not used to Yachiru addressing him with his real name and he began to wonder if she ever had done before. "What's wrong Yachiru?"

She huffed and patted Yumichika's cheeks twice. "There's nothing wrong with _me_, but there's something wrong with _you_! You're acting funny."

The fifth seat sighed loudly and gave the small girl a sad smile. "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed! You're one of my special friends, so I have to know when something's wrong with you!"

Yumichika was shocked by the power of the small girls words. He felt proud to be thought of as one of her 'special friends'.

"You know you noticed even before Ikkaku?" he let a small, airy laugh escape his lips.

"Really?" She looked truly puzzled. "But Baldy and Feathers are really close. Like me and Kenny!"

"You think?" Yumichika doubted that he and Ikkaku were that close. Kenpachi was in all reasonable terms Yachiru's father and he was sure that his captain would do anything for his lieutenant. Absolutely anything.

"Well, I love Kenny. And you and Baldy love each other too!" Yumichika winced at the lieutenants words and embraced her suddenly to hide his face from her view.

"That's the problem."

* * *

_What. The. Actual. Fuck._

Ikkaku stormed out of the eleventh division's training grounds, still furious and overflowing with venomous reiatsu. _What is wrong with everyone? Is this some kind of sick joke Rangiku has set up? And not only do the new recruits think I'm a faggot, they think I'm together with fucking _Yumichika. _Are their brains made of shit?_

"Arrrrgh!" _I need a drink. I'm not used to thinking so much, my brain isn't supposed to work as hard as this._

Ikkaku began to make his way towards the sixth division's barracks, giving each and every person he passed a ferocious glare and the occasional snarl. Once within the barracks he made the familiar trip to the lieutenant's office, relieved to see that his friend was there.

"Renji, you busy tonight?" Renji looked up from his mass of paper work and studied Ikkaku's face carefully.

"Again? But didn't you go out last night with Rangiku?" Ikkaku grimaced, remembering the previous night and all his current problems. Before Renji could question his negative response, Ikkaku held up his hand.

"I'd rather not think about it. All I know is that I want a good drinking session. You game?" Renji sighed before tossing the remainder of his work across his desk. "Sure, I'm beat. Just the usual place then?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks Renji." Ikkaku turned and left the lieutenant's office slowly and sauntered back to his own barracks.

* * *

"Yachiru, I'm going now!" called Yumichika, cupping a slender hand along the side of his cheek. She poked her pink-haired head from behind her bedroom wall and gave the fifth seat a wave."See you later Feathers!"

He sighed. His meeting with Yachiru had been fun but he wasn't in the best of moods so he figured it would just be best to go back to his place and try to sort himself out. He passed several squad members on his journey; each of them bowing low and greeting him formally. Yumichika, though he'd never admit it, loved the attention he got off other members of his division. Some of the older ones didn't bother so much with the formalities but younger shinigami always treated him with respect. He knew he shouldn't be proud of such behaviour being shown towards him, but he had to admit it was quite an achievement. Most other fifth seats didn't even get a second glance, whereas he did. He was strong; strong enough to be even a lieutenant, and he was proud of that.

As he turned the last corner to his home he looked around for any more passers-by. Pleased that no one else was around he stretched and ruffled a hand through his hair, leaving it in a bed-head mess. He then proceeded to remove his orange accessory which hugged his neck and chest, and pulled it off at his forearm. He tossed the clothing lazily over his shoulder then removed the coloured feathers which perched on his face with ease, fanning his cheeks along the way. The weather was still as cold as before, but Yumichika felt hot and feverish. _First I have a damn cold and now I'm progressing into a fever? How repulsive. _He tugged at the opening of his shihakusho, exposing his surprisingly well-toned chest which his scarf usually covered. "That's better," he sighed wistfully whilst pulling it open further. Yumichika placed his scarf onto the ground and slowly drew his long arms out of the sleeves and let the whole top half of his uniform drape down onto his lower body. Grateful that nobody else was around to see him, he tousled his hair a second time before picking up his accessory and continuing the few metres home. Yumichika, now with his messed hair, feather-less face and exposed upper-body, slid the door of his home open and took two fast strides in; sliding the door elegantly behind him soundlessly. He broke into a heavy yawn almost immediately. He dropped his things and stretched two arms above his head in a vigorous stretch which caused the hardened muscles under his creamy, porcelain skin to ripple in pleasure and relief. Only when he began to lower his arms carefully did he notice a pair of eyes watching him.

* * *

Ikkaku had returned to his home to have some rest before going out later that night. Well, that was the plan anyway. Even though Ikkaku laid in his bed for around an hour or so, sleep did not grace his body, which was unusual. Ikkaku, although strong and bursting with enough reiatsu to power a city, could be lazy. Correction; he was lazy. Fighting, sleeping and drinking were most probably the main components of his life. He was indeed, easily pleased. But that afternoon, sleep did not come. Instead, an army of contrasting emotions and thoughts stormed through the third seat's already confused mind.

"Ah, for fucks sake, I give up," he growled to himself whilst rolling clumsily off his bed. Too clumsily. The sheets he had pulled over himself had gotten tangled with his muscular legs without Ikkaku knowing, and as he stood up sluggishly, he toppled over and smacked his head across his bedside table.

"Shit!" he shouted in pain, grabbing his forehead and rocking backwards and forwards trying to ease the pain. After a while though, he laughed. Quietly at first, but it soon turned into a demented cackle. "You know what, bedside table? You win. Half the men in my squad couldn't deliver a blow like that. Kudos to you."

He didn't care how insane he sounded, he just continued laughing until his throat dried up. He picked himself up off his bedroom floor and sauntered through to his kitchen area, pouring himself a glass of water. He finished it quickly, gulping the liquid down loudly, spilling some down the sides of his cheeks. He downed another three glasses before leaning against the counter opposite from the sink. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a note stuck to one of the cupboards. He moved in closer to examine it. It read: _Stop eating all the custard creams that _**I **_brought back from the world of the living. If you like them so much, go buy them yourself. _A small angry face was drawn towards the bottom of the note, which made Ikkaku smirk. Yumichika could be such a woman sometimes. _Wait, what? A woman? _He looked back down at the note and observed the handwriting more carefully. Each letter was perfectly sized, curving into the next with an elegance that Ikkaku thought wouldn't be possible to reconstruct into handwriting. It was really rather feminine. _Most things about Yumichika are feminine though. _Thought Ikkaku whilst placing the note into his pocket subconsciously. _The way he dresses, the way he talks, even the way he acts. But he's always been that way, ever since I met him back in Rukongai. Even more then when he had his ridiculously long hair._ Ikkaku moved his way into the living area of their shared quarters and sat down on their two-seater sofa. _His obsession with beauty, and his obvious femininity… that has nothing to do with his sexuality though, right? _

Ikkaku's new line of thought was shortly interrupted when he heard the swish of the door open a few metres in front of him. At first, he thought that some idiot had gotten the wrong place. The figure stood by the door, ignoring Ikkaku's presence, not acknowledging his being in the slightest. Ikkaku almost gasped when the figure uttered out a powerful yawn and dropped something orange on the ground. He noticed now that the person had his whole upper-half on show; the top half of his uniform hanging low. _Y-Yumichika? _Ikkaku was gob smacked for lack of better words. Yumichika never showed his body, not if he could help it. Ikkaku had never understood why. Two strong arms raised above his best friends head as he stretched, and the third seat almost gasped in amazement for a second time. Yumichika's body was well-toned and perfectly sculpted. And more than anything; completely and utterly masculine. His stomach muscles contracted visibly, and the further Yumichika stretched, the more prominent the Adonis lines he possessed became. Ikkaku was shocked. When had his friend gotten so… so manly? He could remember seeing his exposed body back in Rukongai, but he wasn't nearly as kitted out as he was now. Nowhere near. He noticed then as Yumichika slowly began to lower his arms, that his hair wasn't straight. It was tousled and stuck out at random places. He noticed also that he had no feathers on his face. To Ikkaku, he looked completely bare. Basically naked. And different; like a new Yumichika that he had never acknowledged the existence of before. It was strange to say the least. His best friend's eyes finally fell over to Ikkaku, and they widened in shock.

"I-Ikkaku! What… What are you doing here at this time?" Yumichika sounded panicked as he quickly laced his arms back into his shihakusho. He didn't tighten it though; he let it lay loosely across his bare chest. Ikkaku was surprised at how flustered Yumichika had suddenly became. Was he _embarrassed_? He had absolutely no reason to be.

"Well, you know I finished training early today so I just, uh, came back." _What a shitty lie, he'll see right through it._

"Oh, of course, I finished up training for you, didn't I? I completely forgot, silly me!" He laughed and picked up his belongings, trying to cover up as much of his chest as possible with the loose scarf. Ikkaku was beyond confused now. He knew that Yumichika knew that he was lying. He always did, and he always made a comment on it. Why was he acting so strangely? Ikkaku decided to just carry on with the act."Yeah, you did," he replied calmly. He looked back up at his friend and remembered something. "Yumichika, why the hell are you topless? It's fucking freezing and you've only just recovered from your cold." He was even more surprised when a pink blush escaped over his porcelain cheeks.

"Whilst walking back here I felt feverish, so I decided to remove the top half of my uniform to cool down when there were no more passers-by," he half spoke, half muttered.

"Oh, right. I guess that makes sense." Ikkaku scratched the back of his head, beginning to feel a little awkward in the presence of his friend.

Yumichika began to make his way to his bedroom but stopped suddenly on front of Ikkaku.

"What happened to your head?"

It was now the bald man's turn to blush slightly, and the fifth seat didn't miss it. "Tellll me Ikkaku!" he pleaded when his friend wouldn't reply.

"…I fell into the bedside table."

There were only two seconds of silence before Yumichika was rolling across the floor in laughter.

"The bedside table?," he gasped whilst kicking his legs out like a child. "I thought you got into a fight, but it was only the bedside table! Oh god Ikkaku, you're too funny. Too, too funny." Ikkaku was just about to make a comment along the lines of "Get your puny ass outta here!" but Yumichika rolled over in such a way that his uniform became undone again. Ikkaku was slightly mesmerised, dare he admit it, by the movement of his muscles whilst he huffed out in laughter over and over again. He definitely couldn't call him puny now. But he needed to find some other insult before things could become awkward again. A shit-eating grin then appeared across the third seat's features. Yumichika ceased laughing almost immediately, afraid of what his friend was going to say. Ikkaku leaned close to the fifth seat, so close that their breaths mingled together, whilst he reached for a lock of raven hair and twisted it in his fingers. He leaned even closer then, bringing his coarse lips up against Yumichika's ear.

"Maybe it's about time you sorted out that hair of yours."

Yumichika then gasped into Ikkaku's face and ran away to the nearest mirror -which was situated in his bedroom- and yelped.


End file.
